Cubs reportedly make decision on Kendall Graveman |
The Chicago Cubs will not exercise their $3 million team option with righty Kendall Graveman for 2020 according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
Today is the deadline for teams to decide on their options for the coming year. On the Cub front, they have Anthony Rizzo and Jose Quintana squared away for 2020 and have let go Derek Holland, Brandon Morrow, Tony Barnette, and now Kendall Graveman. Graveman was potentially in competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation for next season but it appears that the Cubs thought he was either not fully healthy or they decided that Alec Mills or Tyler Chatwood would better fit that role for their ballclub. It's a little unexpected considering that he was making only $3 million and a 28-year-old starter but the team has done their due diligence about his physical condition rehabbing from Tommy John surgery (surgery was on July 24, 2018) and how he will respond moving forward. Kudos to them if they made the right call and now can use that money to fill other holes on the roster. For his 5-year MLB career, Graveman has a record of 23-29 with a 4.38 ERA, 286 strikeouts, and 1.38 WHIP. He signed a one-year $575,000 contract with the Cubs for the 2019 season and will now be a free agent.
